Question

a science class is studying a forested area near their school. they find english ivy, a non - native species from europe, is now an invasive weed with no natural predators. data shows that the year after ivy first appeared in the forest, the native shrub population declined by half. when people removed the ivy, the native species returned slowly over a five - year period. they claim that the best way to preserve biodiversity is to leave it alone and over time the forest will balance itself out to its natural state. which two assumptions has this group made that are contradicted by the data? a. human intervention in natural ecosystems is always negative. b. ivy has become a problem in this ecosystem because of humans. c. the native forest species may not compete well with invasive species. d. removing invaders can help restore the diversity of the forest ecosystem. e. natural ecosystems will resist the effects of aggressively competitive species.

Explanation:

The data shows that when the invasive English ivy was removed, the native species returned, which contradicts the idea that human - intervention is always negative (A). Also, the claim that the forest will balance itself out over time without human help is contradicted as the native species only recovered after human - initiated ivy removal, going against the assumption that natural ecosystems will repair the effects of invasive species on their own (E).

Answer:

A. Human intervention in natural ecosystems is always negative.
E. Natural ecosystems will repair the effects of aggressively competitive species.